We have now hit 24 weeks. This was a HUGE milestone with the boys. The nurses celebrated with us, the doctors celebrated with us. It felt like a little party was going on all day. Viability. Of course this little bubble was burst when our neonatologist came in and gave us the scary statistics on quality of life and disabilities if survival even happened. Nevertheless, we had officially made it to our first goal. With this child, even though there hasn't been months of complications, even though we were never once told she wouldn't make it, there's a little piece of me that just celebrates getting to the 24 week mark. And it's a milestone that didn't have all the usual anxiety surrounding it.
So, I excitedly anticipated this 24 week point in pregnancy without the baggage that surrounds most of my other milestone points in pregnancy. That made me all the more thrown when I started having more contractions. I knew to expect them at 21 weeks with the stress of that moment and what it meant for my previous pregnancies. But at 24? No stress contractions should have occurred. Yet I found myself downloading a contraction counter again and, sure enough, every 8 minutes. Hmm... I called the doctor. When I finally got a return call, it was with instructions to rest and drink some water. Awesome. Very feasible with two two-year-olds at home. Sure kids, get some dinner, put on your bibs, and play quietly while Mommy rests. I was told to call in 2 hours with an update. Two hours later I was still rocking Warren who, for some reason this week, has decided to start hysterical screaming after being in his crib for 5 minutes. I didn't even bother to call. What would I report...I haven't done anything you asked me to and I don't have a clue how frequently my contractions are coming? That seems useless. When I called before, it was during the end of naptime after I had been doing exactly what you prescribed and when I was able to monitor things. Sigh...
As the night when on, contractions got closer together but not more intense, so I considered that to be a good sign and decided to forgo the trip to labor and delivery. With Warren and Dean, I started getting contractions like this weeks before my first trip to the hospital. Irritable uterus, they said. I think that started around 17 weeks with them, so 24 this time around seems about right. Regardless, a whole night resting, drinking lots of water, and peeing seemed to do the trick and I'm back down to my usual amount of contractions this morning. Plus Andrew took the boys to the park after being gone for a few days so I can stay and rest. Such a quiet morning. I forgot how peaceful it is to drink my morning coffee while sitting down without little boy temper tantrums. Add to it, Baby Girl seems to be enjoying the moment of calm and is kicking away. I have to say, there is nothing better than little baby kicks as a gentle reminder that God is sustaining her (and me) in a way that I know is far bigger than me or my doctors.
Less than 3 weeks and I'll officially be the most pregnant I've ever been :)
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